The education system in France: choosing your level and field

Understanding how education is structured in France before you pick a school stops you applying to the wrong level or the wrong type of programme.

What you need to know

• The LMD system has three levels: Licence (3 years), Master (2 years), Doctorat (3 years), aligned with the European framework.
• Public universities charge state-set registration fees — a different model from UK or US tuition.
• Grandes écoles admit through their own competitive entry, and are strong in business and engineering.
• Engineering networks such as INSA run integrated five-year degrees.

Language of instruction and the tests that go with it

• French-taught programmes usually require DELF/DALF or TCF.
• A growing number of master's programmes are taught entirely in English, in which case IELTS or TOEFL applies.

The order to work through

1. Settle the level and field first — they determine everything else in the application.
2. Check the language requirement of the exact programme, not the institution's general statement.
3. Compare deadlines school by school; they differ between intakes.
4. Prepare the financial and immigration paperwork alongside the academic file, not after it.

Check against official sources

Fees and residence conditions in France change year to year and school to school. This article describes the mechanism; check current figures against the official sources below, or ask VNIS to verify them for your chosen programme.

• Campus France
• France-Visas

Next steps

• Study in France — overview
• The same topic across every destination
• School directory